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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A Staten Island bar cited for numerous social distancing violations is set to reopen Wednesday.
Meanwhile, its managers are still facing legal problems, including charges of assaulting a sheriff’s deputy.
As CBS2’s John Dias reported, indoor dining is still banned in New York City, but that’s not stopping these bar owners who plan on disobeying the rules.
Like all eateries in the area, Mac’s Pub was forced to shut down since it’s in a zone seeing rising cases.
MORE: New Video Shows Staten Island Bar Co-Owner Danny Presti Allegedly Driving Into Sheriff’s Deputy, Presti Says He ‘Did Nothing Wrong’
But the owners’ lawyers claim the bar scored a huge court victory, “crushing” the mayor and governor’s executive orders.
The owners have been at odds with the sheriff’s office since declaring the bar an “autonomous zone” and allowing people to eat and drink inside. Many rallied to support them.
Lawyers say the owners and staff have been harassed, intimidated, arrested and hit with more than $40,000 in fines. But they argue all charges have been dismissed and they want to reopen — even though the bar’s liquor license status is listed as “inactive” on the New York State Liquor Authority website.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
This comes as one of the owners, Danny Presti, is scheduled for a court case on Jan. 11. Presti allegedly hit a sheriff officer with his car earlier this month, dragging him 100 yards and breaking both of his legs.
The officer was attempting to arrest him, but Presti’s lawyer claimed in early December that he was running for his life.
“Two big burly officers came out between a parked car from behind him and yelled, ‘Presit, hey Presti!’ and started running at him,” attorney Lou Gelormino said. “That’s what started the whole set of events.”
The bar is in a zip code with a 10.6% positivity rate, compared to the rest of the city at 6.2%.
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